earnings News

P/C Insurers Can Handle Chinese Drywall Costs, Says Moody’s

Property/casualty insurers are expected to continue to handle costs for defective Chinese drywall claims in the normal course of business, according to a rating analyst with Moody’s Investors Service. Losses from Chinese drywall will probably be covered within insurers earnings, …

Buffett Increases Stake in Munich Re to Nearly 8%

Famed U.S. investor Warren Buffett, already Munich Re’s biggest shareholder, has built up his stake in the world’s No. 1 reinsurer to nearly 8 percent, increasing his bet on the sector’s long-term prospects. Buffett, who owns the world’s third-biggest reinsurer …

Some Red Flags in Residential Arsons Fly Before the Fire

Financial stress is the No. 1 reason residential dwellings are intentionally torched, but proving arson is not that easy. Only around 6 percent of arson offenses in 2007 resulted in convictions, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Still, there …

8 New Markets in Response to Current Trends

Insurance Companies Generate New Programs to Bring in Additional Premium The last few years of the soft market have forced many carriers and agencies to get creative when it comes to bringing in additional premium. This has included launching new …

Pinnacol Assurance Offers Colorado $330 Million to Become Private Insurer

Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s quasi-governmental workers’ compensation insurer, has submitted a potential separation agreement to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter that would establish Pinnacol as a domestic mutual insurance company owned by its policyholders in exchange for $330 million that could help …

Ratings Recap: Am. Physicians, RenRe No. Am. (debt), Century/Brandywine, Ky. Growers

A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of American Physicians Group and its primary member, American Physicians Assurance Corporation, the lead subsidiary of American Physicians Capital Inc. …

P/C Industry Operating Profits Up Markedly in 2009: Fitch

Operating profits improved substantially during 2009 across the U.S. property/ casualty insurance industry, with most market participants reporting double-digit operating returns on capital, according to Fitch Ratings in a new report. A Fitch review of 2009 GAAP results reported by …

The Hartford To Repay TARP Money

The Hartford said it would conduct a public offering of equity and debt securities as part of a plan to repay the $3.4 billion it took from the federal government as part of the Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program, also known …

Ratings Roundup: Middle East, China Taiping, LAWPRO

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Jordan-based Middle East Insurance Company (MEICO) to ‘BBB-‘ from ‘BBB’. The outlook is stable. The rating action follows the “downgrade on March 12, …

S&P Revises Hartford’s Outlook to Negative; Debt/Hybrids Assigned Ratings

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘BBB’ issue rating to Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.’s (HIG) proposed $1.1 billion senior debt offering. S&P assigned a ‘BB’ rating to HIG’s proposed $500 million mandatorily convertible preferred shares offering that …